by C. A. Wilke
“‘Cause I needed to. Every day I want to do that more and more. Something about you has me.”
She smirked. “Well, I haven’t had you yet.”
“Oh, I see. Actually. I just did it to get you to stop talking.”
“Oh... is that it?” Her mouth opened wide in mock indignation. She swatted at his arm and laughed.
“Ow...”
“Well, in that case mister... How about more no talking.”
She leaned forward and kissed him again, pressing herself against him harder. His arms wrapped around her. Scarlett slid over and sat on his lap. Her hands moved to his cheeks. She held his face up to hers.
Their kiss began as something simple and tender, but the longer they stayed connected, the more heated their connection became. Scarlett felt him pressing against her. Their tongues intertwined and their hands groped.
Scarlett blindly fumbled with the buttons on his pajama shirt while Neil peeled her shirt over her head. His lips trailed down the side of her face to her neck. “Goddamn buttons.” Finally, she undid the final button and ran her hands along the curves of his well-defined chest.
She reached for the drawstring on his shorts. The knot loosened with a tug.
“Scar... It’s, um... It’s been a while.”
Scarlett looked him in the eye and playfully slapped his cheek. “Excuse me. I said no talking.” She pulled the waistband and the knot came completely undone.
Neil fell back onto the bed. Scarlett leaned over him and they continued to undress each other. A few moments later, their bodies pressed against each other with no more barriers between them.
* * *
Their first round of lovemaking was gentle and slow. Scarlett took control and moved carefully to avoid aggravating his wound. She thought the pace was slow and frustrating but more than worth it in the end.
After, she collapsed on the bed beside him and they lay silent. She curled up next to him and watched his exhaustion take over. Neil’s breathing slowed. Her fingers traced the lean curves of his chest as his muscles relaxed.
Scarlett stared at Neil’s chiseled jaw and thin lips. Something cold ran down her cheek. She reached up and wiped away the single tear. For so long she’d fought against her feelings for him. Now... What now?
Living with Neil for the past few weeks had given her a pretty good insight into who he was. Sure, he has secrets, and some of them are dangerous... But isn’t that exactly what I’m training for? Still... He’s a good guy.
She realized where her current line of thinking was heading and wasn’t sure she wanted to go there. Rationally, she knew that a few kisses and one slow romp in the sack under extremely emotional conditions was not anything more than a bit of sexual release. It’s just the close quarters... Right?
* * *
Scarlett bobbed back and forth to the music. She punched the canvas bag in front of her and let it swing.
Jab
Her head bobbed to the side and she attacked again.
Jab Jab Powerpunch
Sweat poured down her face as she moved in time with the rhythm. Her muscles vibrated with pent-up energy. She relished the torture she was putting herself through; the exertion was good.
She also relished the mental quiet. Despite the music, her inner voices were silent. Today, no faces appeared on the punching bag. Today, it was just a punching bag.
She ducked again and felt a tap on her shoulder. The sudden contact startled her. She yelped and swung around, fist flying at face level. Only Neil’s reflexes kept her knuckles from hitting his jaw.
“Whoa!”
Scarlett jumped back and yanked the earbuds from her ears. “Oh shit! You okay? I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled.
“You startled me.”
“I guess.”
She reached out, stopped the bag from swinging, and downed a swig of water. “So how long were you watching me?”
“Long enough. You’re doing good though. Your form has improved, your follow through is better. Keep it up.”
She reached down and turned off the small media player. “Thanks!”
“So, hey... About before.” Neil walked over and sat in one of the kitchen table chairs.
From his sullen and serious tone, she knew where this was going. “Hey, no... Look, I get it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, sure. Emotions are high, we’re in tight quarters. It’s just a thing. I get it.”
Neil looked down at the floor for a moment, his brow furrowed. “Oh. Yeah, sure.”
“That’s not what you were going to say, was it?”
“Oh no... No, no, no. You got it. Spot on. Really, I mean. I’m just your trainer, right? Things happen and...” Neil stood and turned toward the kitchen. “As you said, it was just a thing.”
“Okay.” She set her media player down on the table and took another swig of water. Her blood pounded in her ears in time with her racing heart.
A long, awkward moment followed. Neither of them spoke and their eyes would not make contact. Finally, Scarlett broke the silence. “So... I’m going to go get my shower.”
Neil just nodded. She walked past him and headed for the bathroom. Just as she reached the doorway, his voice stopped her.
“Scar?”
“Yeah?”
“That wasn’t what I was going to say.”
Chapter 16
The Doll
Idleness, itself, can be a catalyst for change.
* * *
Scarlett took aim with the plasma rifle. Through the sights, the target rose and fell with each breath. Her lungs filled with air one last time. She closed her eyes and let every muscle relax. Warm air seeped past her lips in a long, drawn-out sigh. She let her eyelids drift open.
Her eyes automatically looked down the sights of her weapon. The tip of the rifle lowered toward the target in a single smooth motion. At the instant the forward sight crossed into the black, her index finger squeezed slowly.
When the charged bolt left the end of the muzzle, her eyes closed again. This was the final shot of her weapons testing. It wouldn’t make or break her performance, but she wanted it to be the “cherry on top,” as she told Neil.
She cleared the chamber of her weapon and removed the magazine. By the time she climbed to her feet, Neil was already on his way back from picking up the target. He held it up for her to see.
Dead-center in the black was a single scorched hole. She squealed. “See? See? I told you I could do it! I told you... So what do you owe me?”
“Owe you? I don’t owe you anything. I never took the bet.”
“Please. You so took the bet.”
He laughed and handed her the plastisheet. “Nope. No bet.”
“Liar.”
“Nope.”
The two cleaned up the equipment and headed back down into the apartment. Along the way Scarlett bumped shoulders with Neil playfully. He smiled and bumped back.
“So. With that, you are just about done.”
She leaned against the elevator wall. “You’ve got nothing else to teach me?”
Neil laughed again. “Oh, there’s plenty more I could teach you... but, uh... trade secrets and all.”
“Oh-ho-ho... I get it. Can’t handle a little competition.”
“Whatever.”
In the three weeks since Neil was able to walk again, he had fully healed. Their physical training quickly got back on track. The two had even begun discussing a plan for Scarlett’s revenge.
Their relationship had grown too, changing Neil’s attitude toward her. He still yelled like a Marine Corps Drill Instructor, but the rest of the time he was more relaxed and comfortable around her. He joked more. He talked more. And what Scarlett seemed to enjoy most of all, they kissed more.
Neil opened the weapons locker and set the rifle down on the fold-out counter. “Let’s get this rifle cleaned up. I’m going to go get a shower and run out for a bit.”
Scarlett
agreed and pulled out the weapon cleaning gear. She didn’t question his order or where he was going. Months ago she had accepted the role of the trainee, the recruit. But that was ending soon.
She came out after her own shower to an empty apartment. Her bare feet slapped against the concrete floor. She plopped down into the chair at the computer and tried to relax. Three failed games of solitaire later she gave up.
Scarlett gave a sharp sigh and slapped her hands on the desk. Her chair screeched when she shoved it back. She walked across the floor of the small apartment and back again. She continued to pace back and forth for several minutes trying to come up with something to do.
Walking back from the elevator toward the kitchen, her eyes glanced over at Neil’s trophy display case. She always laughed when she thought of him calling it that, since his definition of trophy did not include the plastic and wooden awards children received for Little League games.
One of the objects, a doll’s head, caught her eye. She moved closer to get a better look. The creamy skin was marred with scorch marks and black smudges. Scarlett imagined that when it was new, the doll’s fiery-red locks fell straight down to its chin. Now, the ends were melted to random jagged lengths.
The doll’s head had once belonged to a little girl he was hired to protect. Heir to a massive fortune, she had watched her entire family die in the same explosion that destroyed the doll. It was only because of Neil that the child was saved. He had kept her hidden for three weeks while killed off the corporate thugs who’d murdered her parents. When it was done, he delivered her to distant relatives. Neil kept the doll’s head as a small memento of the life he saved.
With the idea forming her head, Scarlett sat back down at the computer and did a street-view search of the area around the warehouse. She found a small corner market just a few hundred yards away. “That’s close enough to risk it.”
A few minutes later she was bundled up and ready to go. Even if it didn’t snow, her heavy layers of clothes would not be out of place now that it was the dead of winter. While everyone else was trying to stay warm, she would stay hidden under her scarf and hood.
She called out to the apartment’s security system. “Security, show me the front door.” The center vidscreen lit up. The display showed the office building’s front door and nothing else. This time, Neil was not there waiting for her.
She rode up the elevator with a small amount of the cash Neil kept for emergencies. When she reached the door to the warehouse, she paused. Her hand hovered over the doorknob for a long moment.
Slowly, she turned the handle and pulled. Before her stood the open expanse of the warehouse. No Neil.
A deep sigh passed her lips and she strode out of the offices and into the larger building. She glided across the concrete floor, holding her breath the whole way. She expected Neil to appear from behind some corner at any moment.
But he didn’t.
Scarlett reached the metal door beside the larger roll-up one. She turned the handle and pushed. Sunlight and an icy wind blasted through the opening. Her left arm flung up to shield her face but the damage was done.
A couple minutes later, her eyes finished adjusting to the bright, natural light she’d not seen in months. She glanced around to get her bearings. A narrow alley stretched out to her left and right. Another grey, concrete-sided warehouse loomed on the far side of the asphalt.
Recalling the map from the computer, she darted off to the right. The corner market turned out to be exactly where the computer said it was. Inside the small establishment, the air was definitely warmer. Still, she kept her scarf covering most of her face.
The shop was devoid of any other patrons. An old Asian lady behind the counter. She only looked up when Scarlett set the box of hair color on the counter. “Dis good color fo’ you.”
“I’m sorry?”
The woman’s voice startled Scarlett. Her screechy and thickly accented English made her hard to understand.
“I said, dis’ a good color fo’ you. It match you skin.”
She smiled beneath her heavy scarf. “Thank you.” Scarlett placed a few bills on the counter and took the change when it was offered.
“You have good day. Come back and show me colored hair.”
She waved at the woman and agreed without thinking.
At first, Scarlett was worried that Neil had returned while she was out, but the empty warehouse relieved her suspicion. The expanse across the building to the offices seemed even greater than before. Several times, she glanced over her shoulder as she crossed the distance.
Even inside the offices, every step pulled her along faster and faster. She knew Neil was going to come up behind her at any moment.
Inside the apartment, she closed the elevator door and leaned back against it. Scarlett inhaled a deep breath and let it out in one, large burst. A quick check of the front entrance on the security camera and she was satisfied.
Scarlett locked herself away in the bathroom and got to work. A short while later she turned off the water and wrapped a towel around her head. Her bare feet tingled as the floor began to vibrate. Her reflection smiled back at her.
Dressed in loose shorts and a t-shirt, she strolled out of the bathroom. The door to the elevator opened and Neil appeared. “Hey...”
She smiled. “Hey.” Scarlett walked up to him and gave him a light kiss on the lips.
Neil gave her a quick hug and headed for the kitchen.
“So, how was your thing?”
He opened the stainless steel refrigerator door and stuck his head in. “Oh, it was fine.”
“Good.” Scarlett pulled the towel from her hair and started drying the stringy strands.
Neil withdrew from the cold box and took a swig from a bottle of his favorite microbrew. “Ah... that’s good.” He lowered the bottle and looked over at her.
His face showed no reaction, at first, to Scarlett’s change in hairstyle. He stared at her, as if he was trying figure out what was different. His mouth dropped open. “What the…?”
Gone were her long, wavy, strawberry-blonde locks. Instead, her hair blazed with the color of rich, red flames. They extended to just below her jaw-line in straight, clean lines.
“You like?”
Chapter 17
Haircut
A new hairstyle can make a girl feel like a whole new woman. Then it’s up to her to continue that change.
* * *
Neil’s mouth hung open, utter shock painting his face. He stared at Scarlett’s fiery hair. “Hmm.”
“Well? Do you like it?”
“I... uh, well... it’s, um... H’ How’d...?”
Scarlett’s face slackened. “Is it that bad?”
His arms flew up in defense. “Uh, no. No, not at all. I’m just... It’s very different. But, how did you...?”
“Oh.” Scarlett’s eyes widened for a moment and she ran from the room. She returned a few seconds later with a small wad of cash and change.
“Here, I owe you $8.74”
Neil stared at the handful of money. “What? Where did you get this?”
“I borrowed it from your emergency cash.”
His head snapped up. “You know where that is?”
“Uh, yeah. Sorry.”
“No, it’s fine, I just...” Neil’s words trailed off. “But I still don’t...” His wrinkled brow relaxed as realization dawned. “You left. You went out into public.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I was disguised.” Scarlett’s tone was playful, despite the anger she saw flickering in Neil’s eyes. “Watch. Computer, activate vidscreen one, security video, elevator. Time stamp 12:47 pm.”
The large screen showed Scarlett inside the elevator. Heavy clothes covered her from head to toe. Her face was hidden behind a scarf the color of her hair.
“See? It was really cold outside. I kept it like that the whole time.” She smiled. Neil watched the video for a moment then turned back to her. She told the computer to pause the playback.
>
“I guess I should have known. How’d you get back in?”
“I memorized your code.”
“Four months ago?”
Scarlett shrugged. “Yeah.”
“Impressive.”
“Thanks. So how was your thing?” Scarlett walked around and plopped down on the black couch. She felt Neil’s eyes on her, scrutinizing her every move. It was as if he was sizing her up all over again.
“Oh, it was just a thing. Why don’t you get dressed, we’re gonna do your final combat test. This is real world shit, so... “
Scarlett’s heart raced as she bounded out off the couch. This was the moment she was waiting for. She rushed out of room to change.
From under her cot, she pulled a small metal case. Neil had presented it to her a week ago and said her training was almost complete.
She clicked the two buckles and the case popped open. The smell of metallic, preserved air wafted to her. She lifted the box as if it were made of crystal.
From inside she pulled out a neatly folded bundle of what looked like black cloth. Despite being soft to the touch, Scarlett knew it was not cloth at all. Instead, the material was two pieces of flexible Kevlar fiber meshed with carbon nanofibers. While the suit would stop a standard lead bullet or any other traditional projectile, it would do little against an energy weapon.
Scarlett stripped and stared at the two pieces of clothing laid out on her cot. She picked up the skin-tight armor. As she shoved her arms through the sleeves, the flexible material was cool, almost liquid to the touch. She ran her hands over the nanofiber material and smiled. It’s about time. Over the armor, she wore a charcoal grey business suit with a wine-colored blouse. In the bathroom, she checked over her reflection. Much dryer now, she saw the stray strands of hair missed earlier. She trimmed them and smiled.
When she came back into the living room, Neil stood in the center of the space. She strolled out with her arms wide and spun around.
Neil whistled. “Wow... looks good. Looks very professional.”
“Well, I did have a good teacher.”
The two boarded the elevator and rode it to ground level. Every muscle in Scarlett’s body vibrated with excitement. She wanted to bolt out of the elevator to the warehouse.
